Behind Enemy Lines
by thewhitewolfpack
Summary: A new, powerful force is threatening the Earth and the Avengers have no clue what their dealing with. Loki shows up after escaping Asgard and things only get worse. Can our Heroes save the world before Loki gets what he's always wanted? **DISCONTINUED**
1. Chapter 1

**My first Avengers story! Yes, I'm excited. I've had this plot screaming in my head since I saw The Avengers the day it came out. And seeing it twice within a week, didn't help anything. So I wrote it. **

**This is set after the movie.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers, sad day. I know. I'm just using them for a lil bit.**

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Chapter 1

She slowly walked down the New York street, adjusting the shoulder bag that held her assignment. The sun was setting and dark clouds began to move in as she quickened her steps.

Her task was simple: get a photo of Victor Garcia, a drug kingpin who is wanted for the murder of a NYPD Detective, as he did his dirty work.

Garcia liked worn down warehouses near the river, where he always made sure to have a boat ready in case he needed to make a quick escape. And he always made sure that his deals got done in under 10 minutes. If the buyer didn't make a suitable offer in the appointed amount of time, Garcia would walk (sometimes leaving a bloody scene in his wake).

She knew she had to move fast.

Checking her watch, she saw that the deal would be going down in a few minutes. She made her way to an escape ladder and climbed to where she would have the best view.

-xxx-

"How much are you willing to offer?" Garcia asked his current client. A man dressed in a tailored suit stood before him. He was a little bit shorter than himself, but he stood his ground. Garcia only knew him as 'The Dealer', because that's all he ever did. Victor Garcia was excited to be making a deal with him.

"I am willing to pay 84 thousand," The Dealer said. "but," he paused and let his words hang in the air, "I want in on your, how do you say, side project."

"I'm not sure I-" Garcia was abruptly cut off.

"Don't play dumb with me. I know all about your plans. You don't come off as just a drug dealer, for you have something bigger going on behind the scenes. Much bigger." the Dealer continued. "I'm willing to pay another 100 grand, that is, if you accept my standing offer."

Garcia looked at his watch. He had less than 5 minutes. "How do I know I can trust you?" he asked.

"Let's just say that you won't be disappointed in my work and what I have to offer you."

2 minutes.

"And you can promise me success in my work?"

45 seconds.

"Yes,"

30 seconds.

Victor Garcia held out a hand and waited for The Dealer to grasp it in his own. When he did, he said these simple words.

"Then it is settled. Meet back here on Thursday night and I will show you first hand my newest work."

-xxx-

The next morning, she awoke to her phone playing _Thunderstruck. _It was a just after 6 and she didn't need to be at the office until 9 that morning.

Rolling over, she blindly pressed the TALK button to accept the call.

"Hello?"

"Dakota, are you awake?" _Why must her friend be an early bird?_

She sat up and let her feet touch the cool wooden floor. "I am now," she held back a yawn. "What's up Hannah?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to catch breakfast with me before you went to the office. There is this new place on State Street that's suppose to be pretty good." Hannah said.

Hannah Smith had been her best friend for as long as she could remember. Dakota grew up in the System until she was 18 when she got a job working at The Weekly Journal, for Hannah.

Born Samantha Dakota James, her journey started a few weeks after she was born. Her parents died when she was very young and she didn't have any other known family. They told her that they were killed when they were on their way home to New York from Wisconsin when their plane crashed due to engine failure. She didn't know any thing about her parents.

She was never adopted, but bounced from foster home to foster home. All she knew was survival.

Today, she wrote articles and took photos while Hannah ran the place.

They were very close.

"Sure. What time do you want to meet? I have to be at the office before 9:00, so I can talk to Mr. Green about my current assignment." Dakota asked.

"How's 7:30 sound?"

"Perfect. See ya then."

Dakota got out of bed and made her way to the shower, knowing that a long day was awaiting her.

-xxx-

She woke up with a start and a pounding headache. She didn't know where she was or how long she was unconscious. Slowly, she stood to her feet and took in her surroundings.

It was dark. Too dark for her likings. She could hardly see her hand in front of her face, when suddenly the room lit up and two men in white lab coats and goggles walked in.

As her eyes adjusted to the new light, the sight before her sent a chill down her spine.

Dakota was in a giant container of some sort. Wires and tubes were connected to it as it hung a few feet above the ground.

Startled, she staggered back until she felt her skin come in contact with the glass. She looked down and saw that she was dressed in black light weight pants and a white tank top. A white bandage was wrapped around her left bicep that she hadn't noticed until now.

The two men in white lab coats walked over to a desk that held a couple computers. One of them began to type in the keyboard and the container that held Dakota started to shake.

She pounded on the glass and shouted at the men.

"Hey! What am I doing here?" The men paid no attention to her and went on working and typing things into the computers. "Let me out!"

Little did she know that she was about to find out first hand what was going on.

Suddenly the two men stepped away from their work and made their way over to where Dakota was being held.

They removed their goggles and masks that she didn't notice until now and stood in front of her.

Victor Garcia and The Dealer stood and stared at Dakota. Their fake smiles plastered on their faces, as if something amused them. She knew something wasn't right. After a few seconds of admiring their newest prize, Garcia spoke up.

"Ah, Miss. James. Nice of you to join this," he paused, searching for the rights words to say, "get together." Victor Garcia stepped closer to the space that held the young woman and smiled a sly smile. "I assume that you find your arrangements, soothing enough?"

It was a stupid question, really. Of course she didn't like being held in a glass container of some kind against her will for crying out loud. So, she just looked at him and let that be her answer.

While Garcia was busy "talking" to Dakota, The Dealer had made his way to the back of the container. He removed a cover that was near the top and replaced it with a thick hose. After tighting it and checking that ever thing was secured, he walked back towards the front of the room, back to the computers.

Meanwhile, Garcia was telling Dakota about his little project. And how she was in the center of it all. What she failed to realize was that Garcia was distracting her, from the real work that the Dealer was doing.

"What do you want with me, Garcia?" Dakota asked angrily. Part of her wanted to believe this was some sick joke of some sort, but she knew deep down that this was far worse. They must have drugged her because she couldn't remember anything after her talk with Hannah. _Hannah!_

"Where's my friend?" Dakota yelled, slamming her hand onto the think panes of glass. "What did you do to her, you sick bastards!" it was more of a statement than question, but she got her point across regardless.

Garcia smiled again, oh how she was getting tired of that, and simply said, "She's been taken care of,"

Staggering backwards a few steps, shock began to take affect on her. But she didn't have time to process the new information.

All of the sudden, The Dealer calmly shouted from the computers and said, "All is set. We can begin." He only said six words, but those six words drew fear into the heart of the young woman.

Garcia bowed towards Dakota while saying "my lady," and went over to join his partner in crime. Placing their goggles back on, they typed a few things into the computed and selected START as it flashed across the screen.

As all that went on, Dakota James pounded effortlessly against the glass, screaming at the men to let her go.

Soon, the lights began to flash around her as a gray cloud of smoke entered the space she occupied. She could feel herself slipping away, but tried her best to stay awake. Seeing that the young woman was a fighter, Garcia gave the order to increase dosage.

More smoke was pumped into the container and Dakota felt herself falling. She slowly sank to the cold floor as the smoke completely engulfed the air around her.

Giving into the bliss of darkness, she knew no more.

**How was that? Please Review! I love finding out what people who read my stories think.**

**I have a bit of this pre-written in my notepad, so I just need to get it on my computer before I update. Review help me update faster though. ;)**

**xoxo**

**The Raven**

_**Avengers Assemble!**_


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't think Captain America gets enough fanfic love online. Maybe that's just me. *shrugs***

**I've gotten over 500 hits/visitors for the first chapter; but only a few reviews. Was it something I said? Please enjoy!**

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Chapter 2

Nick Fury sat in his office aboard the helicarrier doing paper work and research when Agent Hill came up to the door and knocked.

"Sir, we have spotted a disturbance of some kind, coming from a warehouse in Queens, New York." Fury looked up from his work and replied, "What's the status of the warehouse?"

Agent Hill handed her director a black folder, saying "We aren't sure, Sir. There seemed to be some sort of chemical activity going on, but as of-," she paused to look at her watch. "3 minutes ago, all had ceased."

"Where there any civilians inside?"

"According to past reports, that warehouse had been abandoned for years, But possible drug trafficking was being suspected." Hill said.

Fury was curious. He had already sent Iron Man, Thor and Black Widow on a recovery mission in London and Doctor Banner was busy in his lab researching something he found and making sure what ever "it" was, wasn't deadly. He could be in there for hours. That left Captain America and Hawkeye. He hoped it wasn't too bad, and those two could take care of it.

"Send for Captain Rogers and Agent Barton. Debrief them on the way. We don't know what went on down there and we don't want the media finding out until I know every thing. I want a jet out of here in less than 20." Fury told Agent Hill.

"Yes, Sir." Hill replied. Leaving the room to get Steve and Clint, she called in to have a jet ready for them.

_**-AV-**_

Steve Rogers had worked up a good sweat in the gym today. He had already gone through three punching bags and could feel the skin on his knuckles breaking while he was beating a hole in the forth when Agent Hill walked in.

He paused long enough to turn around and properly greet the woman before returning to his routine. Agent Hill still hadn't moved when Steve finally ceased and asked, "Is there something I can help you with, ma'am?"

Hill walked over to the side of the room that the Captain was on and held out a black folder, while saying. "Fury wants you and Agent Barton to check out a disturbance in Queens. The jet will be leaving in 14 minutes, aircraft 3440 hanger B7. Where can I find Barton?"

"He said he was going to be in the range practice with a few prototypes." Steve answered. "What's going on in Queens, that Fury wants checked out?" he questioned as he untapped his hands and grabbed his bag.

"You will be debriefed on the way along with Agent Barton. Suit up." Hill said before making her way to the range to get Clint. Steve walked to his room to change before he made his way to the appointed hanger for take-off.

Not too far down the hallway, Clint Barton was preparing another set of arrows for his bow. They weren't like the ones he used now, instead a prototype that SHEILD wanted him to test. After three rounds, Barton sensed someone enter the command station where he was currently taking a water brake.

"Ah, Agent Hill, what do I owe the pleasure of your being here?" Clint asked.

"Your assistance is needed along with the Captain. The jet will be leaving in 8 minutes, North hanger B7. You'll be debriefed on the way." she said.

Clint didn't waste anytime as he swiftly grabbed his own bow and arrows before racing towards the waiting form of transportation.

He was met by Steve, who was fully dressed in his uniform, in the hall that led to hanger B7. While Barton adjusted his arrows, Steve asked "Any clue as to where we're going?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, Cap." Hawkeye said. Even though neither of them knew what was to be expected, they had to be prepared for anything that may or may not come their way.

Once aboard the jet that would take them to Queens, New York, Agent Hill appeared on screen.

"Gentlemen,"

"Ma'am,"

"Agent Hill," Clint then asked, "What's out mission for tonight?"

"It was brought to out attention that a possible drug deal was going down tonight. But upon further inspection, we stumbled on to something else. 20 minutes ago an explosion went off in the building. We aren't sure if any persons were inside and we need you both to search the place and get answers to what happened."

"What's our ETA?" Steve asked the pilot. "ETA is less than 7 minutes, sir," came a response.

"We'll check it out, Ma'am. Any thing else that we should know?" Steve questioned.

"Just be careful out there. We don't know what was going on down there, nor do we know how big this thing is."

"Copy that,"

"You got it, Hill." Clint said. "We'll keep in touch."

"We're nearing the warehouse location, but the rain has flooded everything around it within 400 yards of the building. We can't land in it," the pilot called back to his passengers.

"Get us as close as you can on the West side, we'll repel out where there's less damage." Steve called over the roar of the engine as he opened the door. Once the pilot had carefully positioned the aircraft on the west side of the building, Steve and Clint repelled down to the water covered ground that came up to their ankles.

Even though the warehouse was near a pier, and wasn't surrounded by much, the Captain and Agent had a little bit of trouble getting to their destination. Crates and abandoned cars littered the street while over turned trashcans and cargo lay nearby.

Once the reached the two double doors, Agent Barton called Director Fury over his comm.

"Director, we're reached the warehouse. There doesn't appear to be any thing out side the building as of right now, but I would like you to keep an eye of things while me and the Captain search inside."

"We will watch for any thing that might show up. You and Captain Rogers be careful." Fury responded.

Clint looked over to Steve who was to his left and asked him, "Ready, Cap?"

"Let's do this," and then the two men opened the door and entered the warehouse not knowing that they were being watched.

_**-AV-**_

The lights flickered on and off, not having enough power to sustain life for very long. Windows were broken throughout the place and the cool night wind and rain entered freely into the room.

Glass crunched beneath their boots as Captain America and Hawkeye walked into the main part of the the building. The scene before them was nothing like they had seen before.

Flames licked away at walls and discarded objects that were scattered across the floor. Clint asked, "What happened in here?" Not looking for an answer, but getting one from Steve who in turn said "I don't know, but it looks to be more than a drug deal gone south,"

Agent Barton walked over to what was left of the computer station and called out to Steve saying "I'm going to see if I can recover any files off of here."

"Okay, I'll check out things on this end," Steve said as he made his way towards the back of the room.

A giant glass container, somewhat like the one SHEILD was going to use on Banner, but smaller, stood tall in front of the Cap. Steve stepped closer to inspect it.

Tubes and wires were connected to it in the back and a gray smoke was still being pumped though them. Getting down on one knee, Steve examined a shard of glass. Picking it up in his gloved hand, he saw a red substance on it. _Blood._ He thought. There were others like this one around him on the ground.

The container it came from was fairly large, big enough to hold an animal even, but Steve was sure that it was human. He started having flashbacks to the day when the Super Soldier serum was used on him. He willing offered to be used for the project; but a feeling inside him was sure that whoever, or whatever, wasn't willing to be used here.

Just as Steve was going to call out to Agent Barton about his findings, a loud crash and explosion sounded throughout the warehouse.

Out of the corner of his eye, Steve saw a figure stop and stare at him, It was a little dark but he was sure that it was a figure of a woman. He shouted "Wait!" just as she took off and ran after her.

"Hawkeye! I'm in pursuit of a young female, headed South. She might be trying to get to the roof." he yelled. "Try and cut her off!"

Clint quickly left what he was doing and said, "I'm on it!"

The woman was fast, and Steve was keeping up with her but the best he could do was keep her in his sights. He was wondering what a young woman was doing out here alone anyway. Was she a part of this? Was she a victim? Was there something more going on?

They ran for a few minutes when suddenly the woman stopped, as she had come to a dead end. Turing around, she stood in front of the Captain. She backed up until she met the wall, not saying a word, in an attempt to escape from the man who was dressed like an American flag. Steve took this as his chance.

"Hey there. Are you okay?" he asked slowly, not wanting to scare her anymore. Steve removed his mask and placed his shield on his back as he took a step closer to the unknown woman. "My name is Steve." He took another step. "What's your name?" Nothing.

Steve didn't know if he was getting through to her or not, when he noticed a deep cut on the woman's bicep that was still bleeding and running down her arm to the floor. Then it clicked.

She had been the one held in that container that he saw, and she had clearly broken out, hence the still bleeding wound.

He tried to make a conversation, to calm her down some, when all of the sudden, the woman jumped up and grabbed a hold of a vent grate that was in the ceiling. She removed the cover in one swift motion, and entered the ducts above him.

"Clint, she's in the ducts!" Steve said.

"She's where?"

"The air ducts! She's in them."

"Well, how did-"

"I don't know...she jumped up!"

"Steve, I think you need to see a doctor after this," came Clint's answer. "What direction is she headed?"

"Northeast. She's still trying to get to the roof."

"Okay, come up the North stairwell and I'll use the East one. We can cut her off there." Clint stated.

"Copy," Steve said. Running back the way he came, he found the stairs that Clint told him about and made his way to the roof.

The rain was coming down harder now and it made it tough to see. Hawkeye had an arrow at the ready, preparing for anything. Captain America joined him a few seconds after he arrived on the roof.

"Do you see her?" Steve asked, wiping rain out of his eyes

"Its hard to see anything in this rain, Cap." came Clint's reply.

Hawkeye saw best from a distance, so he climbed on top of an old, rusty air conditioner to try to get a better view.

A flash of white and blue caught his eye, moving quickly on his right. Clint thought _'What was that?' _before calling out to Steve "Captain, she's on your 4 o'clock moving fast!"

""What?"

"I see her 90 degrees to your right," Clint inwardly signed. Steve really needed to pick up on the sayings of the 21st century.

"Got it," Steve said as he began to chase after the woman for a second time that night.

His legs carried him and it didn't take him long to catch up with her, because she stopped at the edge of the building. "We don't want to hurt you, ma'am." the Captain said coming to a halt. "we just want to get answers."

It looked as if the woman was trying to say something; as if she wanted to trust them, but something was holding her back She backed up slowly until her bare heels hung off the wet ledge, wanting to get away from them. But she had no place to go.

Then Hawkeye's voice came over the comm. "I've a clear shot, Cap. A strong sedative should knock her out,"

Then everything happened at once.

The woman slipped off the building, just as Steve gave the go-ahead to shoot. A loud clap of thunder sounded through the air and lightning flashed as rain poured down.

"Clint, did you get her?" Steve yelled as he rushed to the edge of the wall, looking into the blinding rain as he tried to locate the woman. "I-" the Agent didn't get an answer out, as he and the Captain looked towards the sky as the woman flew away.

**This was longer than I thought. Any guesses as to what her powers are yet? Leave me a review?**

**-Ace**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for all the reviews and alerts and favorites. 709 hits and 489 visitors? It means a lot to me!**

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**Enjoy Chapter 3! I own nothing, but my OC Dakota James.**

Chapter 3

"Thank you again, Avengers." a middle aged man with thick rimed glasses said. "I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't shown up."

Iron Man smiled as he replied, "No problem, Mr. Locke."

Black Widow chimed in, "Just doing our job," she stated as she shook his hand.

Thor spoke up in his deep voice and said, "it is our pleasure, dear Friend."

The trio bid the man farewell as they headed back to the aircraft when they heard Director Fury's voice come over their comms.

"Avengers, do you copy?" the man said.

"Natasha sat in the cockpit and replied as she strapped herself in. "Loud and clear, Director."

Tony answered, "Stark, here."

"I am here as well, Director Fury." Thor said.

"What is your status?

"We are about to leave London now, the mission was a success, more or less." Natasha said.

"And what do you mean by that, Agent Romanoff?"

"I think she is referring to the fact that Tony almost blew up the person we were sent to rescue." said the Asgardian.

"That is not true!" Tony said trying to defend himself. "I was trying to blast the werido in the hat who-"

"Who was holding our victim hostage!" Natasha cut in. "How could you possibly do that without killing the civilian?"

"I was going to ricochet it off the glass building that he was standing in front of." Tony stated matter-of-factly with a straight face. "or at least that was my plan until blondie here showed up and fried the guy with his lightning."

"I did was I thought was best for the safety of the people," Thor said. "Destroying a building would have only cause more problems."

The two superheroes fought back and forth, while Agent Romanoff went back to talking to Director Fury.

"Anything we can help you with, Sir?" she asked into her comm.

The director responded saying, "As of right now, we'll let you get back to America safely. I wanted to update you on Captain Rogers and Agent Barton, as they have been sent on a mission of their own in Queens, New York."

"What is their current status?" Natasha asked as she readied the jet for takeoff.

"They are fine, Agent Romanoff. We will debrief you all when you get back," Fury said not wanting to said too much over the air-waves. You never know who could be listening. "What is your ETA?"

"7 hours and 21 minutes, Sir." the Black Widow smiled. "But I can make it in 4 hours and 30 minutes. 5 hours at the most."

"There is no rush, just get here in one piece."

"Copy that, Sir."

"Oh, and Agent Romanoff?"

"Yes, Sir?"

"Don't let Thor and Tony kill each other." the Director said with the smallest hit of a chuckle.

"I won't, Sir. Romanoff out." with this statement, she slowly rose the jet into the air before shooting off into the sky, laughing to herself as Tony and Thor slammed into each other as they were not expecting the take off.

"Hey, get your foot out of my kidney,"

"I do not know what this 'kid nee' is of which you speak, but I assure you my foot is not in it."

'_This is going to be a long flight,'_ Natasha thought as she flew over the water. _'I just might kill them myself,'_

_**-AV-**_

Loki walked through the burning woods with a purpose. He was careful where he stepped next, as if he was on thin ice.

His eyes searched the area around him, trying to locate what he came to find. The only light was that of the still burning flames that littered the trees.

As he got deeper into the wooded plain, the fire started to change from orange and red to.. white? Loki reached out to the flame, as if drawn to it.

The white fire licked hungrily at his hand and he screamed out in pain, before a blast of power threw him back into a chard tree. Coughing on the dirt and smoke Loki sat up in a daze, and through his foggy eyes, he spotted something off in the distance. Standing shakily to his feet, he walked over to find out what it was.

The rain had settled to a steady misting and the air was cool to his face. Leaves were floating around him as he drew closer.

He came to a small hole in the ground that lay in the middle of a bunch of trees, a figure laying in crevice. It lay on its side, facing away from him. As he made his way closer , he could see a miniature arrow of some sorts embedded in its side.

Getting down to the level of what ever he found, Loki removed a few debris that was covering it. He dusted dirt and leaves and twigs away to reveal the bloodied body of a woman.

Loki absentmindedly let an evil smile run across his face. Surely, if this being caused this sort of damage around him, then he may have just found a new weapon.

But there was a slight problem; unanswered questions if you will.

There were only six Avengers that he was sure of: Captain America, Iron Man, the Hulk, his 'brother' Thor, Hawkeye and Black Widow. Could he be looking at a seventh? If she indeed was, he would be in a world of hurt, or in his case, worlds. And if she wasn't, then maybe, just maybe, he could become a king after all. This woman could be his ticket there.

That was a chance he was willing to take.

While Loki was in deep thought, the woman began to stir. She clenched the wet dirt in her hand as a wave of pain shot through her side. Her eyes shot open and she quickly rolled over onto her back, realizing that someone was staring at her.

Sensing him as a threat, she she her left hand out in front of her body in an effort to protect herself, when suddenly a surge of power ran through he veins.

A while stream of fire and pure energy hit Loki square in the chest, throwing him yet again into a tree 30 yards away. It took him a few minutes to gather his bearings. While he stood to his feet, the woman was looking at her hands. She didn't know what had just happened, Seeing a picture of worry and uncertainty on the woman's face, Loki spoke up, taking his chance.

"Are you alright?" he asked. The woman was taken aback at his sudden speaking and took a few steps back away from the man. "I don't want any trouble. I just want to help."

"The last guy to say that to me had his buddy shoot me with some sort of tranquilizer dart or arrow." the woman said as she removed said arrow and discarded it in the bushes.

"Did they?" Loki asked intrigued. "What did these men look like?"

"I- I don't know. It was dark, but I remember seeing blue and red. I never saw his friend."

"ah," Loki smiled "well, did we have a rough landing?"

"I don't know. I guess. Everything is all fuzzy," she dusted off her blood stained shirt and pants, wincing as more dirt got into her gash.

"Pardon my rudeness, I didn't introduce myself." he brushed himself off and stood up straight. "I am Loki of Asgard." the woman eyed him funny. "Its pretty far from here,"

"Dakota James, from just outside Brooklyn. My friend likes to call me DJ," she paused and looked at the wet ground. "Or at least she did,"

"Did something happen-?" he let his question hang in the air, allowing the scene to play out as if he cared what happened to some petty human.

"I- really don't know." Dakota said sadly with a sigh. "These past few hours -or days, I'm not sure anymore- have been crazy. I don't know what to think."

"Well, maybe I can help you." Loki said as he walked closer to Dakota. "Find answers, I mean."

"Why would you want to help a monster like me? She asked. "I'm turning into some sort of flame throwing freak!" Her heart began to race as she spoke and soon a flame was in her hands and she started to panic as it moved over her body at a rapid pace. "What's happening to me?" she dropped to her knees, trying to will the flame away.

"You have to fight it, Dakota!" Loki yelled. "I can't, its too strong." came a scared reply. Loki made a move to get closer to her but she put a hand up signaling for him to stay back. She didn't want to hurt him, the rage inside her was overpowering. She had no control.

A white spark shown in her eyes as another stream of fire shot through Dakota's hands. Loki jumped back in time, already feeling the effects of the previous two blows. "You have to try," he yelled again, actually surprised at how his voice sounded – as if he really did care.

Screams ripped through her lungs as she fought hard to gain control. She could hear a voice in the distance calling out to her, but she couldn't make out what was being said. She felt her strength fading fast, but with one final ear piercing scream, the fire was gone. As if nothing had happened.

Taking in deep breaths, Dakota looked down. The flames were gone, and she was still alive. She knew she couldn't do this on her own, what ever this was. Would this man really help her? Could she trust him and his knowledge? These are the questions that ran through her mind before she collapsed from exhaustion.

"You have a gift, Dakota. I can help you conquer it, as I have my own." Loki said as he walked over to the woman and carefully picked her up in his arms, where made their way back towards the city. Leaving a scene of destruction behind.

"And so it begins," he thought as he strode into the night.

**6 reviews for chapter 2? What the What? I'm going to go get Chapter 4 written and hopefully get it posted this week, if this chapter is well received.**

**Anyone wanna guess what Dakota's powers are? Read and Review?**

**-Ace**


	4. Chapter 4

**Claimer/Disclaimer: Dakota James is mine and this plot is mine. I don't own Captain America: The First Avenger or Peggy Carter. And The Avengers belongs to Marvel. Hope this chapter isn't too confusing, if it is, sorry. Feel free to ask me questions and I'll explain it to you.**

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Chapter 4

Flashback 1943

"_Come in. This is Captain Rogers, do you read me?"_

"_Steve is that you? Are you alright?"_

"_Peggy, Schmidts' dead."_

"_What about the plane?"_

"_That's a little bit tougher to explain."_

"_Give me your concordances, I'll find you a safe landing site."_

"_There's not gonna be a safe landing. But I can try and force it down."_

"_I'll get Howard on the line, he'll know what to do."_

"_There's not enough time. This things moving fast and its heading straight for New York. I gotta put her in the water."_

"_Please, don't do this. We have time, we can work it out."_

"_Right now I'm in the middle of nowhere, if I wait any longer a lot of people are gonna die. Peggy, this is my choice. Peggy,"_

"_I'm here,"_

"_I'm gonna need a rain check on that dance,"_

"_Alright. A week next Saturday at The Stork Club,"_

"_You got it,"_

"_Eight o'clock on the dot, don't you dare be late. Understood?"_

"_You know I still don't know how to dance,"_

"_I'll show you how. Just be there,"_

"_We'll have the band play something slow,"_

_**IMPACT.**_

Present Day

Steve Rogers sat in the command room early in the morning replaying his last memories from 1943 over again in his mind. He remembered his fight with Red Skull, his last conversation with Peggy Carter, them scheduling their date that wouldn't come, as he aimed the Hydra aircraft into the water from the sky. '_Peggy, this is my choice.'_ he said. Oh, how he wished he hadn't had to choose that.

It had been two weeks since the warehouse incident, and SHEILD didn't have much to go on. A team had collected blood and chemical samples from the scene and test results came in a few days later. The blood is from a young woman named Samantha Dakota James who was born in Brooklyn, New York. She is 26 and her parents are deceased. She is Caucasian, has long brown hair and stood 5 foot 10 inches. This was all they knew about her, but at least they had somewhere to start. Captain Rogers confirmed that this was the woman he saw.

He went over everything they found on Samantha James in his head but Steve couldn't put it together. It was as if a piece was missing, but he didn't know what.

Dr. Banner was busy working on identifying what kind of chemical was used in the warehouse and what cause the explosion. Clint was helping Natasha and Tony in the lab working on who knows what and Thor had returned to Asgard.

It was just after 8 in the morning and gray clouds were moving through the sky outside of The Avengers Tower when Banner came in with a look on his face that Steve couldn't place. "Steve, you need to see this," the doctor said. Sensing that it was urgent, Steve got up and quickly exited the room, following his friend down the hall to his lab.

Once there, along with the rest of the team and Director Fury, sans Thor, Bruce pulled an image onto a screen that fit the length of a wall.

"I've been researching the chemicals that were found in the warehouse nonstop and what I came across is, well," he typed a few things into the computer before continuing. "just see for yourself."

On the screen sat a graft of some sort. Everyone was quite, trying to understand what it was they were looking at. Then Tony spoke up saying. "I'm not sure, and this is just a guess, but I don't think they know what they're looking at, Doc."

"This is an energy source. Not like anything I've seen before." Banner said. ""What ever was used in that warehouse, could be very dangerous."

"Are you say the Tesseract is back on Earth?" Director Fury asked.

"That's not possible. Thor took that back with him and Loki to Asgard." Clint stated angrily. He'd been on the wrong side of that things power, and it was the last thought that he wanted to go through his mind.

"No, I'm not saying that the Tesseract is here, I am saying that there is something else out there. Not like Gamma radiation and not the Tesseract's energy. It's something more powerful."

Natasha asked. "How can you be sure?"

"We can't," Tony spoke up seeing that the doctor was at a loss for words. "We don't have enough to go on at this point,"

"So, we have something big to go on, but nothing to go on. That's where we are, am I right?" Clint asked as he leaned against a nearby wall.

"Pretty much," Tony and Bruce said together.

Steve had been in the back of the room listening to everyone's input and not saying a word when Thor walked into the room. All eyes turned to him and they grew silent as they waited for the Asgardian to speak.

"I am afraid I bring grave news, my friends." he said in a deep booming voice.

"What is it, Thor?" Fury asked.

"Loki has escaped from Asgard,"

Clint, taking the news the hardest out of the group, left the room. Not telling anyone where he was going, as the others planned their next move.

_**-AV-**_

"That's it, Dakota!" Loki encouraged aloud. "Now, focus your energy power on the bottle across the room. But not too much,"

"Alright," came a reply. Dakota held out her left hand and focused her sights on the glass bottle that sat 25 feet away on a counter.

Two weeks had passed since Loki found her in the woods. Fourteen days since Dakota found out about her powers and 336 hours since her life changed. Not that she was keeping track or anything.

Loki had been true to his word about helping her figure everything out and getting answers, but there was still much to learn.

Together, they found that she possessed the power over fire and could fly. As well as the ability of super strength and speed.

They had been practicing early in the mornings ever since and once today's lesson was finished, Dakota decided that she wanted to go for a jog. It was around 8am and dark clouds had moved in over night, and the New York City people prepared for the rain. Dakota informed Loki of her intentions and grabbed a lite jacket. Before she left, she turned around and smiled, seeing the melted glass as it dripped onto the tile floor. Then she headed out the door.

The house she was staying in near downtown New York, was nothing like she lived in before in Brooklyn that's for sure. It was a two story home, with an underground basement work area, where she did her training. Loki told her that she couldn't go back home; that there were people looking for her who wanted what she possessed. And they would do anything to get it.

Loki also said that she should change her looks, so she dyed her hair to a dirty blond and cut it and changed from glasses to contacts, which made her sure she wouldn't get recognized but was always careful when she went out.

She had been jogging in Central Park for 15 minutes when the rain began to fall and the temperature grew cooler. At first she didn't think much of it, until she began to feel weaker. It felt as if the liquid was draining her energy. She found it hard to breath, as if she was being held under water; drowning. She collapsed onto the walkway, struggling to take in air. Her eyesight was leaving and she was growing cold, when all of the sudden a pair of strong hands gripped her still shaking form.

"Hey, Miss, what's wrong?" a manly voice asked.

She found it hard to form words, but some how manged to say, "'m c-cold.". Then she felt the person wrap something around her; a black jacket. The man then said, "My name's Clint. Is there someone I can call for you?" Dakota was about to say there was when a car pulled up the the curb they were by. A man in his late 20s got out of the drivers seat and rushed over.

"Tyler, babe, are you alright?" he asked as he got down on his knees. Seeing that he wasn't alone, the man rudely introduce himself to the person who was holding the Dakota. "I'm Drake. Her boyfriend." he said coldly. "And you are..?"

"Clint. I was walking by when-" Clint was cut off by the man named Drake. "Ty, I'm gonna get you home, alright?" Dakota could only muster a slight head nod before her eyes closed.

Drake turned to Clint and said. "Thanks for being there when you were, but I got it from here."

"No problem. You might wanna get her some hot tea and a blanket; she said she was pretty cold." Clint responded as he stood to his feet.

"I will, man. Thanks again." and with that, Drake picked Tyler up in his arms and carried her to his car, a black SUV with tinted windows. He carefully put her in the front seat, buckled her in and went to the drivers side. He glanced back at Clint again and nodded his head towards the man before getting in the car and driving away.

Feeling the rain come down harder, Clint wished he had worn a long sleeve shirt. Sure, it was spring, but the rain was cold and he had just given his jacket away. Shaking his head, he shoved his hands into his pockets when he winced. He looked down and saw burn marks. They weren't too bad, but he would be feeling it later.

Figuring he had been out long enough, he made his way back to The Avengers Tower.

_**-AV-**_

"Maybe if we find this woman from the warehouse, we can get the answers we need."

"And how do you suggest we do that? We've had her place under 24/7 surveillance since we got her name. She isn't there."

"How am I suppose to know? You're the smart one out of the group! You should-"

"I should what? Make some new toy to find missing persons?"

"Looking for Loki should be our top priority."

"No, we need to find out what this chemical is. Not look for people who don't want to be found."

This was the scene Clint Barton walked into once he returned to The Avengers Tower. Tony, Bruce, Natasha and Thor were having a very heated discussion about what their next move should be. Steve was sitting at a nearby table, drinking a cup of coffee while looking over a file.

Clint cleared his throat and asked, "Hey doc, where's the first-aid kit?" Banner stopped his bickering long enough to tell the archer "top shelf, left door." before yelling at Thor again. Barton made his way over to the cabinet and picked up the wanted item from the shelf.

Clint had just begun to clean his wounds when the Captain made his way over to his side.

"What happened to you?" Steve asked as he took a sip of his drink. Clint signed and shook his head. "I'm not really sure. Its hard to explain."

"Try me,"

"Well, I was walking in Central Park when I saw this woman collapse on the sidewalk. I went over to help her and she kept saying how cold she was." he paused before going on, making sure Steve was still with him. "I wrapped her in my jacket and was about to call someone for her, when some guy came running up. He said he was her boyfriend and that he'd take care of her."

"You were in the right place, at the right time. It happens."

"Yeah, I guess. But then I saw these burns on my hands. I think it might be from when I touched her." the archer said as he placed the first-aid kit back where he got it. "Something seems off,"

"Maybe you got those burns from working." Steve suggested.

"Yeah. Maybe." Clint sighed again. "I'm going to go get dried off."

"Shouldn't you wrap those burns, Barton?" his Captain called out to him as he left the room.

"Nah, I'm good. I've got some archer gloves I can wear." then Clint made his way back to his room.

_**-AV-**_

Meanwhile, Drake had just put Dakota to bed when he met with Loki in a secret room as he explained the mornings events to his master. He told him of his run-in with an Avenger in Central Park and how he wasn't sure if he suspected anything. He mentioned how Dakota collapsed once it began to rain and how she felt weak before she passed out. He didn't leave anything out, for fear of him being destroyed.

"Very good, Drake. I am pleased of your work thus far." Loki said to the man who was on one knee, bowing before his master. "Your information will be very useful to me."

"Thank you, my king." Drake said. "Is there anything else you need from me?"

"Not right now, you have done me well. Now we can focus on finding out what her weakness is. Dismissed."

"Might I speak freely, sir?" Drake asked hesitantly.

Loki sighed as he was ready for this human to leave his sights. "What is it?"

"I think her weakness might be water related. She has the power over fire, right? And she didn't start feeling weak until she got caught in the rain. Maybe we can start there." Drake said.

Loki thought about this for a moment before saying. "I see." he stood up from his seat and walked closer to his servant. "You have proven yourself to me, Drake of New York. Your loyalty shall be rewarded." Loki waved the man away and went back to his thoughts. If his plan continued to go accordingly as it has so far, then the world would be his. And The Avenger will be no more.

**Evil Loki? Yeah. Bet you didn't see that coming. * wink * Things are about to pick up, so be prepared. For anything. Review?**

**- Ace**


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's chapter 5! Thanks for all the hits and alerts, it means a lot. Enjoy the action!**

Chapter 5

Drake sat in his room thinking about the days events. He was proud of himself for standing up to an actual Avenger. Hawkeye, if he remembered correctly. He did his job well, he brought the woman back to Loki as he requested. He told his master everything that happened while he was following her up to the moment she collapsed. He was perfect.

He was suppose meet Loki in the secret room at sunset tonight, until that time he was to watch over Dakota and earn her trust. He quickly made her a cup of tea and bowl soup before heading up to her room, making sure that it was piping hot.

Once upstairs, Drake knocked twice on the door before pushing it open and calling out. Dakota wasn't in her bed where he left her, but standing by the floor length window watching the rain fall onto the streets below. She had changed out of her wet running clothes and into a blue fitted long sleeve shirt and black night pants. Drake cleared his throat to announce his presence.

"Um, I brought you some tea and soup. In case you were hungry." he said. Dakota thanked him and began to eat, closing her eyes as she felt the warmth of the food warm her to the bones. "How are you feeling?"

"Better, thank you." Dakota replied as she took a sip of her tea. "Where's Loki?"

"He said he had a few things to take care of. He should be back any minute now."

"Oh," by now Dakota had finished her dinner and she looked over at a clock. The time read 7:38pm and the rain was beginning to move out. Drake gathered the dishes and bid Dakota farewell when she stopped him. "Um, thanks for being there for me today. I don't know what happened back there."

"Just doing my job, Miss." he smiled and closed the door behind him and made his way back to the kitchen.

It was almost eight at night when he made his way over to the first floor office. The doors were always kept locked and a guard was posted by it. Drake gave the man a code and a sack was place over his head. He was led down a flight of rounding stairs, 34 to be exact, and through 2 door ways, once passed the sack was taken off and Drake would walk down a shorter flight of stairs. 6 steps and 1 doorway later he would be standing in front of Loki who was always sitting in the same spot every night; on his throne.

Drake got down on one knee and bowed his head while saying, "My, king."

"Drake of New York, I need you to do something for me. It is vital in my journey to conquer this world." Loki said.

"Whatever you need, Sir." Drake said, head still bowed.

Loki waved a guard over to him and was handed a small black box. "Come here," Loki called. Drake stood to his feet and walk over to Loki who in turn said, "In this box lay one last form of pure energy. Over the weeks of preparing the woman, I have seen that her heart and intentions are too good for my plan; we need to break that." Loki opened the box and the room was filled with a blue light. "This is a piece of the Tesseract; the last source of energy I was able to bring back with me from Asgard."

Drake looked inside the box and saw a silver bracelet with a small blue crystal in the middle. Confused he asked his king, "What is this?"

Loki smiled and said "This energy, the Tesseract, has enough power to control one human being. You, Drake, are going to give it to the woman. And once it is on her wrist, her mind will be mine to command. You may go."

"I will do as you say, my king." Drake took the box and closed it, the blue light disappearing as he did. He was walked back the way he came when he heard Loki say to him, "Once you have done this, the next step in my plan can begin."

Drake nodded his understanding and left the man alone to his thoughts in darkness.

Back upstairs, Dakota sat in a chair by the window when a knock sounded on the door. She got up and walked the way of the room and opened it, greeting Loki who stood on the other side. "Glad to see you moving about," he said with a smile. "Are we feeling better?"

"Yes, thank you. The tea and soup really helped." Dakota said as she walked over to her bed. When she sat down, she sighed. Loki strode over and sat down next to her while asking, "What's wrong?"

"Loki, can I be honest with you?"

"Of course. What's on your mind?"

"I'm scared. What's happening to me?" Dakota asked as she looked the man in his eyes. "I mean, really. What is going on?"

Loki place his hand on hers and said, "I'm not sure. But we can run some tests, try to find answers we might've missed earlier." he wiped the tears that began to fall freely down her face and said. "Get some rest. You've had a long day."

"Thanks, Loki. For everything you have done for me." Dakota smiled, "I don't know where I'd be if you hadn't shown up."

Loki stood up and turned to her saying, "I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Goodnight." and he shut the door behind him.

"night," she said slowly.

A few minutes passed and Dakota had climbed into bed and was about to turn the lights out for the night, when a soft knock sounded on her door. She got up again and opened it and saw Drake standing on the other side.

"Sorry, I know it late, but, um, I just wanted to say goodnight." he said as he rubbed his neck awkwardly. "and I wanted to give you this." from behind his back he removed a black box. He opened it and a silver bracelet with a blue crystal sat neatly in the middle. Dakota stared at it for a few seconds before saying, "Its beautiful. But I can't accept this, Drake."

"Why not?" he asked. "Look, I know you've been upset. And I don't know how to help you out, but I want to make you feel better. In my family, a silver band and blue crystal meant 'strength.' I want you to be strong."

Dakota took the bracelet in her hand and smiled. "Thank you. That means a lot." She handed the article of jewelry back to Drake and held out her left arm. Drake unhooked the bracelet and carefully placed it on her wrist. Once it was clasped shut, a flash of blue light ripped through the house and lights flickered as a gust of wind moved swiftly around them. Dakota's eyes flashed as well and then everything was quite.

Loki walked in soon after and stood on the other side of Drake and Dakota. He looked at Drake and said, "You have done well. You may leave." Drake left without a word and left Loki and Dakota alone in the room.

Loki stood in front of Dakota and said. "I need you to get something for me." Dakota straightened up and said, "What do you need me to do?"

_**-AV-**_

Bruce Banner was working in his lab late at night, when the alarms sounded throughout the Avengers Tower. He dropped what he was doing and ran to the command center where he was met by the rest of the team and Director Fury.

Tony pulled a map of the city up on a screen in the middle of the room as he looked for the source of the disturbance. After a few seconds, he located it. "There was an alarm tripped in a jewelry store on 9th Street." he said. "Might only be a couple guys trying to get rich quick."

Fury eyed the map and shook his head. "No, I don't think so. That's the Jason and Jefferson store. They just brought in a rare diamond that was kept secret from the public." He typed a few things in the computer and said, "I want all of you to check this out."

"You heard the Director," Steve said. "Suit up."

After everyone was ready they met in the underground garage of the Tower, they jumped in a couple SHIELD cars and headed to their destination. Once there, Steve gave the team their orders, "Clint, you take the roof and be our eyes. Nat and Banner, you two cover the back. Thor, you'll take the South side and Tony will be on the North. I'll enter through the front." he said after assessing the situation. "Enter quietly and communicate with your comms. We don't know what's going on in there, but be ready for anything. Am I clear?" The group nodded their heads in agreement, signaling their understanding. "Good. Move out."

Everyone went off to their assigned positions and entered without a sound. Natasha and Bruce cleared the back rooms and met Tony and Thor who had just swept the North and South areas. Steve joined them soon after giving them the all clear sign. The team made their way to the basement, leaving Banner at the top as a lookout, and descended a wooden flight of stairs. "Hawkeye, do you see anything?" Tony asked the man on the roof.

"All clear up here,"

"Okay. We're going to the basement to search around." Natasha said. "Keep your eyes open."

"Copy that." Clint responded.

The room was big and musty: the smell of ages of dust and grime filled their noses. Tony tried a nearby light switch and sighed when it fail to brighten up the area. There was one window that let in the light of the moon into the room, but that was it.

Steve, Natasha, Thor and Tony made their way deeper into the room when the Captain held up a hand signaling them to stop. He waited a couple seconds before asking, "Do you smell that?"

Thor answered, "It smells like that of smoke,"

"Yeah, I smell it too." the Black Widow agreed.

Tony said, "JARVIS, switch over to 'heat vision'," the AI did as commanded and Tony's screen changed imminently. A strong source of heat was coming from the back of the room and Tony pointed them that direction. They moved with caution, ducting behind crates and pillars along the way. Once there, the sight was surprising.

One figure stood in front of a large steel door and ten others behind it keeping watch. The one figure, whom the group assumed to be the leader, was attempting to open the door. Not with a key, but with a flame of fire.

Tony was ready to blast his way in, but Steve wanted to know what they were after. After a couple minutes passed, the door swung open the the one person walked in. "Hawkeye, we have a visual on a group of people in the basement, stand by." Steve called into his comm. "You too, Banner."

When Steve finished talking, the person walked back out holding a square shaped diamond, green and red in color. The four Avenger stepped out, just at the figure was placing it into a black bag.

"Going somewhere?" Tony asked as he held his arm out, readying his blasters.

"As a matter of fact, I am." The person, a woman by the sound of her voice, said. Suddenly a stream of fire was shot towards the heroes and they jumped out of the way in the nick of time, Steve blocked it with his shield. The woman sent the henchmen to get the people who interrupted her night.

Natasha took out two guns and started firing, taking out three of them with ease. Thor had fought off two of his own, using his fists to dispose of them as well. Tony and Steve were busy fighting off the last 5 when Iron Man saw the woman set a small devise on a pillar before she made her way to the roof. He scanned it and gasped, "Uh, Cap?"

"What is it, Tony?" Steve asked as he slammed a man with he shield hard into the ground. "We need to hurry this up, before we become an Avengers bar-be-que." Steve looked over his shoulder and saw what Stark was talking about. They had 10 minutes before the whole building caved in on them. But before they could make a break for it, another group of henchmen came in, ready to prevent their escape. They were surrounded.

"Clint, there's a woman headed for the roof. She has a diamond." Steve said into his comm as he fought off more of the men that came his way. "Stop her!" He didn't hear a reply, but believe that the message was received.

On the other side of the basement, the Black Widow was on the ground out numbered and staring down the barrel of her own guns when out of no where the men standing over her were sent flying into a wall with a crack. She stood to her feet and thanked the Hulk as he left to join the fight. "Tasha, see if you can defuse the bomb!" she heard Tony call over her comm. She ran over to the pillar that sat in the back corner of the basement and saw what she had to work with.

"Guys, we have a problem," she said.

"What is it?" someone asked. She sighed and told them, "This bomb has no wires. There's nothing I can do."

On the rooftop, Hawkeye was prepared for the woman. She came in through a door, and he surprised her by jumping out and grabbing the bag with the diamond in it from her. "Its not nice to take things that aren't yours." the woman said.

Lights on top of the building allowing Barton to see the woman. She wore a black fitted suit with matching gloves and boots that were near her knees. A mask covered her eyes, but Clint could clearly see a blue light come from behind it. He had an arrow at the ready, but hesitated long enough for the woman to get the first move in.

He stumbled back at the force of the kick and dropped his bow, watching it slide towards the edge of the building. Clint blocked the woman's next kick to his stomach and delivered one of his own that sent her reeling backwards a few steps. She gathered herself quickly and attacked again, this time with a punch that knocked Agent Barton to the ground. The woman picked a dazed Clint up around his neck with her right hand.

"An actual Avenger in the palm of my hand." she said slowly. Clint tried to pry the woman's hand from around his throat, but his strength was fading fast. He felt her grab the bag with the diamond from his pocket, where she then put in into her own.

The woman placed her left hand on Clint Barton's chest and smiled and a flame lit in her hand. Clint screamed, almost blacking out from the pain and lack of oxygen. "Your not worth my time," she said. She removed her hand and threw Hawkeye over the edge of the building.

He hit a dumpster with a loud crash and rolled to the ground, just an orange and red fireball lit up the darken early morning New York sky. His last thought before he gave into unconsciousness was how he failed the team once again.

**Only one review last chapter? I love hearing what you readers have to say, so please shoot me a review. They help me update faster. Until next time!**

**- Ace**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Does Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff have their own Marvel movie? No? Then clearly I don't own the Avengers.**

**A/N: Thanks to _Little Weasley Girl_ and _IloveAnime89 _for leaving reviews for C5. It means a lot. Sorry for any mistakes, they're all mine.**

* * *

Chapter 6

The room was silent and dust had settled by the time Natasha Romanoff came too. She slowly opened her eyes and found the area to be dark, blinking a few times she let her sight adjust to the new found darkness.

The Black Widow attempted to sit up when a sharp pain coursed through her right wrist. _Most likely a sprain, could be fractured. _She thought grimly. With her left hand, she reached into her belt and pulled out a small flashlight, shining it around where she sat.

Natasha felt an arm around her waist and turned to the right to see the unconscious form of Bruce Banner, who had a small puddle of blood pooling around his still head. She didn't have time to play the guessing game as to why or how, but she knew that she needed to find the others. Removing Banner's arm and standing shakily to her feet, Agent Romanoff took in her situation.

She had lost her comm when the force of the blast knocked her to the ground, and she didn't know where the others were. Let alone if they were alright. Romanoff could only hope they weren't too bad off.

The area she and the doctor were in was a space of beams and rocks that somehow were leaned against each other; as if something had prevented it from caving in all the way on top of them both. There was a pile of rocks and brick, not connected to the structure that she could move and use as a door way. She tore part of her sleeve off and wrapped if around her injured wrist tightly before going over. Looking over her shoulder and checking on Banner once more, Natasha placed the flashlight in her mouth and began moving the debris away.

_**-AV-**_

Rocks rumbled and shook violently as the ground beneath them quaked with a strong force. Thunder and lightning presented itself as the debris were blown away. Thor walked away from the wreck and dusted his shoulders off and spun his Hammer in his hand, readying himself for another attack. Seeing that there was no threat, the Asgardian looked around him at the sight.

The building that used to be a jewelry store was now a pile of rubble. And Thor stood in the middle of it.

"Hello?" he called out. He didn't get a reply and began to worry. Thor reached a hand up to his ear and sigh with relief when he found his comm still in place. "Director Fury?" Static sounded throughout his comm before a faint voice answered him.

"'hor?" more static.

"Director, can you hear me?" There was a crackle and a loud high pitched sound causing Thor to quickly remove the comm from his ear, where the comm went up in a cloud of smoke and flame.

"Seems to be just you and me, Mjolnir." Thor said as he began the search for his missing friends.

_**-AV-**_

Tony was enjoying the dream of him and Pepper on the beach when AC/DC's _Thunderstruck _blasted through his helmet. His eyes shot open and he sat up quickly, regretting it as soon as he did when a sharp pain coursed through his side.

He looked around and not seeing a form of threat, he leaned against a large pile of rocks. "JARVIS?" he asked aloud, hoping that the AI would reply. A moment passed when Stark heard the sound of his computer friend. "Yes sir, glad to see your finally awake."

"What the crap, JARVIS? You did that?" Tony asked as he held back a wince of pain. "I found it futile to awake in the matter that I did, sir. I-"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." he said as he stood up. "Thanks, for that."

"You are welcome, sir." the AI said.

"JARVIS, see if you can locate the others. Go back to 'heat vision'" the AI did as asked and Tony's screen went to the desired settings. He looked around what was left of the basement of the store and saw the still warm, unmoving bodies of the men they fought, some covered by rocks. Taking a few more steps forward, Stark tried to find any sighs of life. Movement caught his sight to his left and he held out his arm, ready for another fight, but sighed gratefully when he saw his favorite (though, he'll refuse to admit it) Asgardian. He lowered his arm and opened his face mask.

"Friend, Stark!" Thor said excitedly as he made his way over to his Iron teammate. "Are you alright?"

"I'll live," Tony said, absentmindedly wrapping his right arm around his left side. "You?"

"I am fine as well, though I worry about our team members." Thor said looking at the mess around them. "I spoke with the Director, but my communicator device broke and our conversation was cut short."

"Yeah, me too. We should-" Tony stopped suddenly when he heard rocks rolling and crashing into each other. The two men made their way over to the sound, where they saw a hand pushing derbies out of the way. "Agent Romanoff?" Tony asked uncertainly.

"You guys wanna lend me a hand, here?" A voice call out to them. Tony and Thor walked over and moved the rest of the rocks out of the way, and helped Natasha out of her prison. They helped her sit down on a nearby post and started asking her questions at once.

"Will you both just shut up?" she yelled causing them to be quite. "Banner is still in there," the Black Widow nodded her head towards the area she just came from and held her injured wrist to her chest, resting her head back against the pillar.

"I'll retrieve the doctor," Thor said before he entered the space the Widow came from.

Tony walked over to Natasha and said, "Let me see,"

"I'm fine, Stark," Natasha said brushing the Man of Iron away who had reached for her arm.

"Natasha." Tony said is his tough man voice, "Let me see," Not having the strength to argue with him, Agent Romanoff held out her right wrist, grimacing as the movement caused pain to shoot through her arm.

Tony carefully removed the fabric from around the limb and felt around her arm for a few short seconds before telling Natasha, "I'm no doctor, but its defiantly fractured."

"Great," she said wrapping her wrist back up. Shortly after, Thor returned with Bruce, who was walking uneasily on his feet. "I believe our friend here has what you humans call a 'concussion'" the Asgardian said.

"Its bad not that," Banner said. "The Other Guy took blow of the most." he swayed a little before Thor placed a hand on his shoulder. Tony said, "Yeah, we can tell."

"I said most of the blow, didn't I?"

"Guys, can we focus here?" Agent Romanoff said to the group of men. "We still need to find the Captain and Hawkeye."

"Yes, of course." Banner said, eager to be doing something to get his mind off the pain that was running through his head. "Who saw Captain Rogers last?"

"A group of those henchmen had him trapped in the Northeast corner over there," Tony said pointing towards a part of the room was furthest away from them. "I don't care if he's a Super Solider, he was too close to the bomb when it went off."

"Okay, its a start." Natasha said standing from her seat. "Thor and Stark, you two try to locate Steve. I'll take the Banner and try to find Clint." The doctor and Black Widow made their way over to a flight of metal stairs that, somehow, weren't destroyed in the blast and made their way to the outside world.

_**-AV-**_

"_You know, you're suppose to be more than this."_

_Steve Rogers slowly opened his eyes and found himself laying in the snow on the cliff of a mountain. He was dressed in his very first official Captain America uniform that Howard Stark made for him, with his helmet resting by his side. Looking down on him was his best friend, Bucky._

_The Captain stood to his feet and stared at the figure in front of him. He reached out a hand and his eyes grew wide as he felt flesh. A smile came over his face as he brought his friend into a tight embrace._

"_I thought I lost you," Steve said, not wanting to let go._

"_You know you can get rid of me that easily, Cap." Bucky said, returning the hug. The two men stayed that way for a little while longer before Bucky gently pushed Steve away. "You know why I'm here, right?"_

_Steve eyed at his friend with a weird look on his face and asked, "What do you mean?"_

"_To tell you that you have to keep fighting."_

"_Keep fighting wha-" Steve was cut off. "Your not in 1943 with me, Steve. Your trapped in a basement after a battle with an unidentified persons."_

"_I'm not," Steve paused, "I mean, your not, real?"_

"_I'm as real as you need me to be. You might be a Super Solider, but your still human." Bucky said as he walked closer to his friend. "Your not invincible,"_

"_So this," Captain Rogers gestured to the scene around the two of them, "Is a dream?"_

"_Yeah. Your body wants to shut down, but you have to hang on until your team can find you."_

"_But I don't want to hang on, Bucky." Steve said. "I'm tired of hanging on. All the changes I've had to endure, the losses I've had to accept," he stopped and looked the the snow covered rocks around him, "I can't keep doing this."_

"_But you have to," Bucky said. He placed a hand on his friends shoulder, "All your life, you've fought because you were too darn stubborn to say no. Why start now?"_

_Steve looked at Bucky and said, "I don't know. I guess 'cause it gets harder every day."_

"_When doesn't life get harder? You've never met a challenge you didn't like. Not with bullies, or trying to enlist for the Army after countless failures, or agreeing to be a lab rat for a new experiment, or," Bucky paused and thought for a moment. "Well, I guess you still could never talk to girls." he laughed when he saw Steve's face begin to turn red._

_Steve playfully punched his friend on the arms, knocking him to the ground. Bucky fell with an "oof" and looked up at his Captain who in turn said, "Sorry. Guess I forget that I'm stronger now." he shrugged. "Yeah, right. I highly doubt that."_

_Bucky stood up and brushed snow off of his uniform, Steve looked at him with a sad smile. "I'm so sorry," the solider eyes his taller friend and asked, "What for?"_

"_For not being able to save you in time on the train. If I'd only-"_

"_Steve, don't." Bucky said in a serious tone. "Don't beat yourself up."_

"_But-"_

"_No buts. Look, things happen in war that prepare you for a bigger battle, it just so happened to be my falling off a train to get you ready for your battle with Hydra and Red Skull."_

"_You make it sound like its nothing," Steve said as he watched the sun that was now beginning to set behind a close mountain._

"_But it isn't." Bucky said. "I know its hard, but it'll help in the long run. Never quit, never give up and you'll find yourself where you need to be."  
_

"_And where's that?"_

_Bucky smiled. "You'll find out when the time is right. But for now, you need to get back you your team. They need you,"_

_As soon as Bucky had said those words, the scene around Steve Rogers began to change. The snowy mountain and setting sun switched to a fading picture and everything became dark._

_The Captain found it hard to breath properly, as if a heavy weight was resting on his chest. He felt a stinging on the side of his head and tried to bring his head up to inspect it, but found he couldn't move. He hoped Bucky was right, that his friends were looking for him. Because he didn't know how much longer he could hold on._

_**-AV-**_

Natasha Romanoff and Bruce Banner were walking around the outside of what was left of the jewelry store. The place of the bomb took out the Northeast side of the building, but surprisingly majority of the top floor was intact. Mostly. Glass windows were shattered and the sign that was hanging above the door was broken in three places, but other than that it was fine.

Doctor Banner was having a hard time staying awake, so the Agent resorted to asking random questions.

"Favorite animal?"

"Buffalo,"

"Place you'd like to go?"

"Home,"

"Top band of all time?"

"Don't like music, really."

"Shorts or jeans?"

"Slacks,"

"That wasn't a choice," the Black Widow shook her head and rounded the corner of the building that led to the side ally when suddenly she stopped. There lay her SHIELD partner and Avengers teammate, laying on the ground unmoving. She ran over and slid to a halt by his side.

"Clint?" she didn't get a response and placed two fingers on his neck. "He's got a pulse," Natasha said to Banner who had joined next to her on the ground. "Here," she handed the doctor the archers comm, "Call Fury and send for the Medivac," the doctor did as told and quickly told Director Fury about their situation. Natasha took that moment to see what kind of injuries Clint had.

She first noticed a mark on his neck, and couldn't tell what it was, but that was forgotten when she saw the burn marks on his chest. His uniform had a hole in the middle of it and she could see a circle. She began to move the fabric away from the skin when Agent Barton shot up and grabbed Agent Romanoff around her throat.

"Clint, calm down." she said in a soothing voice. "Your alright," Clint let his eyes focus on the images around him and when he saw his hand around Natasha's neck, he quickly left his arm fall limply. "Sorry, 'Tasha." he winced when the adrenalin began to wear off. That wasn't a great way to wake up.

"Your fine," she smiled. "Your fine,"

"I don't feel fine," Clint said as he looked down to his chest. He scooted back until he felt the wall of a building and closed his eyes, only to be slapped lightly on the face by his friend. "You know the drill. No sleeping."

"Medivac way on its. ETA minutes 2." Banner said joining the two Agents.

"What did you say?" Clint asked , half asleep as he wondered why Banner was acting strange. Although he felt awful, and really wanted to go to sleep, the last place he wanted to go was anywhere there were needles and doctors. Natasha could only laugh at them both.

"Did you know its illegal to walk around on Sundays with an ice cream cone in his or her pocket?" Bruce Banner said randomly. Natasha started laughing again and Clint could only watch before questioning, "Where did that come from?"

In between taking breathes of air, the Black Widow was able to say, "He's got a concussion," and then started laughing again.

Little did they know that there was someone watching their every move. She watched the archer closely, wondering if her plan worked the way she wanted. It was hard to tell, so she would have to wait until they met again. And she knew that they would, soon enough.

**So how was that? We'll find out about how Steve is/isn't doing in the next chapter. Chapter 7 is finished, but with my working I won't be able to update but maybe once a week. We'll see how it pans out. Shoot me a review telling me what you thought or what I can do better on or anything you'd like to see that (isn't slash) in this story.**

**PS. I made Banner talk that way. He has a concussion, remember? Those are not fun.**

**- Ace**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Can you imagine owning Chris or Chris or Jeremy? They'd probably hate me because I'd whump them a lot. Well, Hemsworth might not, I don't beat him up that much. Evans and Renner would definitely though. So, no, I don't own The Avengers.**

**A/N: No reviews for chapter 6? Here's C7, regardless. Enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 7

Tony and Thor were walking around rocks and bricks looking for their Captain when JARVIS' voice came over Stark's comm. "Sir, I am detecting a major weakness in the buildings structure. You have approximately 6 and a half minutes before the place caves in."

"Galaxy crystals," Tony said under his breath which received an odd look from his Asgardian friend. "Pepper said I need to cut back on my cussing. Its a long story,"

"I am sure she is doing what she believes is best for you, friend Stark." Thor said.

"JARVIS, what part of the building is the weakest?" Tony asked the AI. "My indicators show the wall directly to your right, two pillars on either side. They absorbed most of the explosion, but not enough to bring it down at once. So-"

"So, who ever planted the bomb, didn't want to kill us right off the bat. But why not?"

"I am sorry to interrupt your train of though, but I believe I have spotted our Captain." Thor said out of the blue. And there, not twenty feet away, lay the form of Steve Rogers partly buried underneath some rocks. The men made their way over quickly, and Tony got down on his knees and felt for a pulse. "Its weak, but there. Scan for injuries, JARVIS."

The AI did and a report popped up on Tony's screen. A large cut ran across the Captain's chest just missing the white star, as if someone flew by him with a sharp object. It had already begun to heal, but he was still unconscious and hadn't responded to any of Tony's calls. His breathing was a bit shallow, but a least he was alive.

"Sir, 2 minutes." JARVIS said. Tony took that as his cue and started to pick the leader of the Avenger when his ribs protested the movement. Sighing, he asked Thor if he could fly them out. The foreigner obligated and made an exit, with the Man of Iron close on his heels.

In the background they heard the building crumble to the ground in ruins, thankful that they were able to get out in one piece.

Not even a block away stood a woman on a tall roof tops ledge. She knew she only had one shot to get things just right, but she couldn't afford to attack too soon. She got what she came for, and in return she would get what she needed to infiltrate the Avengers Tower.

She jumped off the edge just as a black flame overtook her body and proceeded to fly towards her next location.

_**-AV-**_

He slowly opened his eyes and looked around the room. It had white walls and an all too clean floor surrounding his bed. He saw a bandage wrapped around his chest and reached a hand up and felt on around his head as well. A noise caught his attention in the front of the room and he saw a nurse enter with a glass of water and a white t-shirt.

"Good evening, Captain Rogers." the nurse greeted. "How are you feeling?" _Haven't I been through this before? _"Where am I?"

"Your in a recovery room in New York," _This can't be good._ "In the Avengers Tower?" Steve released a breath he didn't know he was holding. He really was about to lose it for a minute there. "How long was I out for?"

"Just a few hours. Its now mid-afternoon."

Steve began to get out of the bed, stopping momentarily to catch his breath. The nurse, Lucy as her name tag said, helped him stand to his feet. "You took a beating, but your wounds are healing nicely. Take it easy at first." She handed over the glass of cool liquid and shirt afterwards, receiving a thanks.

"You know that was something I've never been able to do well?"

Lucy laughed. "Do as I say, or you'll have to stay in bed where I can keep an eye on you,"

"I'll take it easy," he said with a toothy grin. "Where are the others?"

"Agent Roman was eating lunch in room 321, where Agent Barton is being taken care of. And Mr. Stark was with the Asgardian and Dr. Banner in his lab."

Steve Rogers thanked Lucy and left the room in search for his team.

Down the hall a few doors sat Natasha Romanoff who absentmindedly picked at her salad. She wasn't that hungry and even if she wanted to eat, she couldn't quite grab the fork the right way as her right wrist was in a brace. The doctors said she was lucky to have only suffered a small fracture, and with a week or two, she'd be as good as new.

Clint on the other hand, wasn't so lucky.

The archer cracked three ribs when he landed after being thrown from the roof and received a mild concussion along with a bruised throat. But that's not what worried the team of SHIELD doctors.

The burn mark on his chest seemed to be of the 3rd degree, but it was unlike any other burn they've treated before. The skin was dark and the veins around it burst with a bright white color. They had since covered it with gauze, wrapping it around his torso and over his left shoulder multiple times.

They said they would need to run more tests, to find out what they were really dealing with. So for now, Agent Barton lay in waiting.

Natasha was attempting to eat her food with her left hand when Steve appeared in the doorway.

"Good to see you on your feet, Captain." she said once she saw him standing there. "Feeling better?"

"Much, thank you." Steve walked over to the bed side of his teammate. "How's he doing?"

"Not sure. The doctors don't know what their up against, so Banner is going to help them out." she said. "Once he recovers from his concussion."

Steve just stood there, arms folded across his chest. "Did they fill you in?" the agent asked after a minute of silence. "Not yet, I'm about to meet with Fury here in a few minutes." He looked at a clock on the wall and said as he went towards the door, "I better get going. Keep me updated." and then he was gone, leaving Agent Romanoff where she began.

After a few minutes of fighting with her fork and salad, Natasha stood up to throw it in the trash. When she got back, a pair of blue eyes were staring at her. She smiled and greeted her teammate. "Hey there Sleeping Beauty." Clint groaned and was about to saw something, when Nat stopped him short. She reached towards the nightstand and retrieved a white board and black marker. "Doctors said no talking,"

Clint wrote on the board and when he was done writing, he turned it around for Agent Romanoff to read. _"How bad is it?"_

"You cracked three ribs and have a concussion. The bruise on you throat is pretty deep, so they want you to rest your voice."

"_And..?"_

"And what?" Natasha was trying her best to not have to tell Clint the rest of the news, but was failing terribly. Being a top agent for SHIELD, meant that she could hide anything from anyone when the time presented itself. Not from her partner. Not Clint.

"'_Tasha whats wrong?"_ even though it was written down, Natasha could tell that she wasn't getting out of this one. The anxiousness in his 'voice' was too much. So she proceeded to tell the archer all that the doctors told her.

_**-AV-**_

Tony and Thor sat in Doctor Banner's lab, listening intently to what the man was saying as he went over a section of history of gamma radiation and the Tesseract on a white board. Not that Thor completely understood, he did his best to make himself available. Tony was writing down on a notepad when Bruce turned around.

"..so, if this works, we'll be able to find out what was used in that warehouse on that woman."

"We'll know what it is, but that doesn't help us much." Tony said looking up from his pad. "We still don't have a trace on her, nor are we any closer to finding out."

Banner sighed. "Maybe we are going about this search the wrong way." a voice spoke up. Thor stood to his feet and began to pace around the room. "Let's say, that this woman, was infected with this energy. Instead of looking for her, why not get her to come to us?"

"And how do we do that?" Tony asked. "Put out an ad in the New York Times saying 'If there's a young woman out there experiencing unexplainable symptoms, please come to the Avenger Tower. We might be able to help you not die or destroy the plant.'"

"Tony,"

"I'm serious, Banner." Stark said placing his pad down on a table. "We have nothing to go on for finding this woman. As far as I'm concerned, she doesn't want to be found."

"Perhaps Tony Stark is correct," Thor boomed. "Maybe this woman doesn't want to receive help from anyone."

"Its not a matter if she _wants_ our help; its if she _needs _it." Bruce said coldly. The others didn't see to understand as he did. This unknown energy has the potential to be very dangerous. If it somehow got into the wrongs hands, the world would be, yet again, at stake. They weren't dealing with beings from another universe, but a woman who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Suddenly an alarm sounded and red lights began to flash throughout the Tower. The three men ran to the command center, where they found the Captain and Director hovering around a large computer. Natasha joined them a second after. Clint hadn't been cleared for action, but he slowly walked into the room with the others, a nurse right by his side.

Fury pulled up a video on the big screen for the group to see.

Fires were burning and trees were crashing to the ground. The lake surrounding moved with the howling wind as a figure walked about, seemingly controlling its motions. The camera panned closer and the heroes gasped as it showed the face and played it back to them.

Loki stood close to the waters edge, one arm held high. He called out to the group, knowing that he had their attention.

"I believe we have some unfinished business" Loki smirked. "And if my being here isn't enough to bring you all out, maybe this will." He stepped to the side and Director Fury moved the camera down to ground level.

There, bound hand and foot with a rag tied around her mouth, lay the woman they hand been looking for. She wasn't moving, but appeared to be alive. The relief was short lived amongst the Avengers when Loki said, "I'd hurry if I were you. I don't believe she has very long."

And then the screen went blank.

**I've never received a bad review, and I have been on this site for a few years. Please leave me a review telling me what you thought. I accept constructive and non-constructive criticism because I can always improve my writing.**

**- Ace**


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